After Emma Watson is pictured with a pink pooch... Is dyeing your dog the most barking craze ever?

By JENNY STOCKS

Stuart Simons, who runs Groom Dog City, is pictured with his own bright pink bichon-frise Molly, left, and Casper

Tucked away in a fashionably shabby corner of East London, moments from the famous Columbia Road Flower Market, Groom Dog City looks — from the outside — like your average unassuming dog groomer’s.
Anyone opening the glass door is greeted by a chorus of woofs and howls from dogs of all shapes and sizes — from little pugs to a drooling British bulldog.
But look closer and there’s something rather peculiar about a few of those pooches.
As Ralph the poodle spins around, there’s a flash of colour: his tail is bright green.
Casper, a very vocal bichon frise, has a midnight-blue Mohican running down the middle of his head, while fluffy four-year-old Molly, also a bichon, is shocking-pink from head to tail.
Welcome to the newest canine trend to hit the UK: the doggy dye.

Stuart begins to prepare Casper for his Mohican by putting blue dye in his fur where it will stay for ten minutes

Last week Harry Potter actress Emma Watson made headlines when she was spotted leaving this salon with a one-year-old Maltese terrier called Darcy — thought to be her flatmate’s dog — after the pup had been dyed fuchsia.
Not surprisingly, the photos sparked fierce debate among dog lovers, many of whom are highly critical of the practice.
The salon has even had abusive emails, branding it cruel.
Some vets have expressed concerns that even if the dye is completely safe, this process alters the way the dog looks and smells to other animals — and that could affect how they interact.

The little bichon frise is not looking particularly happy about being in a bathtub getting the dye out of his fur

Dr Roger Mugford, a leading animal behaviourist, says: ‘Dogs are intensely visual creatures, and I have no doubt they would be aware of a major colour change, particular green and blue hues which their eyes pick up more.
‘It would likely affect the way other dogs interact with them, too — we know that dogs even interact with other breeds differently due to physical appearance, such as bulldog breeds with their squashed noses.
‘In my opinion, it is a step too far. We should let dogs just be dogs.’

The dogs face is covered in blue dye but Stuart admits that there is no telling if the colour is going to come out right with blues going green and reds going pink

But there’s no denying the growing trend, so I’ve come to the East End to find out why anyone would part with their hard-earned cash to give their mutt a cut and colour.
Dog dyeing is still quite rare in Britain, with only a few salons offering the service, but surprise, surprise, it is a well-established business in the U.S. and Japan.
In the States it is known as ‘creative grooming’ and has spawned competitions. It’s not unheard of to see pooches dyed in rainbow colours or made to look like tigers, pandas and other exotic animals.
Johnny Depp’s rumoured new girlfriend, actress Amber Heard, has been seen carrying a cerise dip-dyed Yorkie, while the girls from reality show Jersey Shore often sport dogs in girlie pink and purple.
So perhaps it was only a matter of time until it came to this country. After all, we already have salons offering doggy mud baths and nail varnish (Victoria Beckham’s bulldog Coco has been known to have a pink pedi).

Before and After: Casper in his blue Mohican, right, and there is no telling whether he prefers it or not although his owner says he loves the attention he gets when he has had it done

And here at Groom Dog City, owner Stuart Simons, 38 — a former musical theatre actor who retrained as a dog groomer five years ago — has been offering the service since he opened the salon two years ago.
He heard it was happening abroad, so tracked down dog-friendly vegetable-based dyes, which are made in the U.S., on the internet.
They don’t come cheap — Stuart pays £16 a tub, which means his prices for an entire dog start at £50 (but you can get a Mohican for £20).
He says: ‘You can’t use human dyes on dogs. It wouldn’t be safe and can compromise their immune systems.

The results are in: Writer Jenny Stocks poses with a dry Casper in his finished blue Mohican

Emma Watson pictured in Bethnal Green walking maltese terrier Darcy all done up in bright pink at the same salon

Midnight Blue: The special dog coat dye the salon uses


Colourful pooches: Bichon frises Casper (right) and bubblegum hued Molly at Groom Dog City just like Darcy, the dog pictured with Emma Watson

source: dailymail